In Kali's Country: Tales from Sunny India

of t

-room with the punkah swinging over him, the latest magazine, three months old at that, in his hand, and the tea tray already replaced on the small table beside his chair by the cigar service holding cigarettes all neatly rolled ready for his match. It was not because the report was urgent that he had forsaken his accustomed ease to prove

he removed it and turned to the side table where stood the tobacco service. Not a cigarette was rolled! He clumsily attempted to prepare some but none of his efforts were really successful. However,

hand to his head for a second, and then arose. He walked to the door into the

heard his master's step, ent

he be

he replied hesitatingly, "No,

can hear that? She has groane

question of himself as he turned ha

ONLY A

the boy timidly, for like every native-born

turning back from the door. "Yes, I will t

a!" he sighed as

s his eyes fell on the clumsy ones in the saucer, they filled with

f sunshine which found their way in through

had sat every afternoon beside him, never disturbing his nap or reading! "Poor little Nona!" he sighed, for she might never sit beside him again. He could hear her groans now fr

this city in the heart of India away from every European association, he had rebelled until, seeing a pair of black eyes peeping from the doorway of a certain mud house, he had become very much interested in that section of the city although it belonged to a low caste of Hindus. He remembered how for several evenings he had taken his evening walk in that locality and furtively watched that house door in which he again saw framed for a second a beautiful

consented, but the matter of giving the sahib his choice had been a trifle difficult even among the low caste. But, finally, having bidden the sahib stand at the other corner of the street where he could see without being particularly noticeable, on the evening the bargain was sealed, the old man had called his daughters one at a time to the door of the house on some trifling

o trickery had been played upon him and that this was the one of his choice. She had been very young, very timid, and very beautiful. He remembered that, cross, burly chap though he was, he had delighted to tease her out of her shyness and t

" Indeed, he had half expected until the last two years to go back to England and marry a fine girl whom he had known in boyhood. But when the time had drawn near he had decided to stay here as he was;-for what would become of Nona? He could

ecent letter from his brother had told him that Elizabeth was still unmarried and mistress of her own estate. But now, of a sudden, he did not wa

's ayah besought him: "Sahib, she is no better.

e asked, his voice

sahib, master. Plea

missionary come to my h

ry principles and he felt that he and Nona in her eyes were worse than the Hindus "in their blindness." He had always avoided a missionary's path; now he w

not come," he s

w ill my mistress is! Hear her moans!" and the faithful a

he give medicine?" he went on, tryin

t she gives medicines," the

from at least asking for her help? Blackmore-Sahib reasoned it out slowly. Although he was sure that she w

ely, after the interruption, to his boyhood home and his boyhood days when even a lie, a wrong word, or an unkind deed had hurt him

al disregard of all Christian customs in a heathen land, had come so gradually that Blackmore-Sahib had never before realized how different he was in moral integrity from what he had been in that boyhood home and how different he must be in reality from what his mother had imagined that he would be in her fond dreams about the future. Had India

face, drawn with pain and the sound of a low but earnest voice saying, "My boy, I am going away-to leave you alone. Be strong and brave and good." These memories as they mingled in his mind and ears with the

assed when, hearing quick steps beyond the compound wall, he came to a halt

a pleasant English voice. "I am not a

le figure that went straight to Nona's room. There the missionary spent much time examining her

more servants and order several tubs of hot water got ready? Then, please, go away for a gallop and do not come back for several hours. I don't believe you know much about sickness

hours he met her a

ard fight. I shall stay here to-night. I don

e said, "She is resting now. Will you come and watch her while I go home for a short time? I cannot leave h

sometimes together, they watched and waited, doing all they c

interest the man, she went on telling about her work and the joys and sorrows that she had experienced as a missionary. Not one word of preaching! She simply told of her life as if talking to an old friend. There was not a sign that she had recognized anything unusual in this household or seen anything to condemn. He began to wonder if she knew and yet he felt that

e felt that her speech grew out of her life and he did not resent the personal reli

The moaning stopped; the restless brown hands grew still; the breath came regularly; and Nona slept a quiet, restful sleep. The memsahib, on her knees beside the bed, looked up at the

ace of his mother, never entirely forgotten, and now clear and vivid before his very eyes, and, more even than all these, the dawning consciousness of the Presence in which his life had been lived a

stonishment slowly gave way to a sense of high moral purpose. After a silence which rev

l brown face there. Then, without asking permission, the missionary prayed a simple prayer of thanksgiving for the life of the woman and a request for

could take as good care of their mistress as could she. But she promised the anxious ayah as s

ionary's parlour and there a quiet wedding ceremony was performed. To the bride it m

nces and apparently with pride he took her from place to place in the homeland. Only one person, a missionary from India, home on a long-delayed furlough, guessed that the journey was one pr

glishman's relatives remarked to a friend. "Otherwise he is

o overhear the remark, in her